Quote:
Originally Posted by Vinny01
How is LA who won in 2012 and made it to the 3rd round in 2013 with a core still on their 20's not elite by today's standards?
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They're not elite because the year they won it all, they were a #8 seed that could easily have missed the playoffs. They were one spot ahead of the Flames, who were not an elite team in anybody's books. The next year they were a #5 seed, but still only 4 points away from missing the playoffs.
Elite teams don't worry about missing the postseason.
I put the 2012 Kings in the category of Cinderella teams, with the likes of the '99 Sabres, '03 Ducks, '04 Flames, and '06 Hurricanes and Oilers. It's very rare for a team in that class to win the Stanley Cup. Full credit to the Kings for doing it — but they were still Cinderella. They just managed to clinch it before Jonathan Quick turned back into a pumpkin.